1st Edition
Social Change and Social Work The Changing Societal Conditions of Social Work in Time and Place
Social Change and Social Work discusses and examines how social work is challenged by social, political and economic tendencies going on in current societies. The authors ask how social work as a discipline and practice is encountering global and local transformations. Divided into three parts, topics covered include the changing social work mandate throughout history; social work paradigms and theoretical considerations; phenomenological social work; practice research; and gender and generational research. Taken together, the chapters in this anthology provide an authoritative and up-to-date overview of current discussions within the European social work research community.
Social Change and Social Work
Biography
Timo Harrikari is Senior Research Fellow and Adjunct Professor of Social Work in the Department of Social Research at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Pirkko-Liisa Rauhala is University Lecturer of Social Work and Adjunct Professor of Social Policy in the Department of Social Research at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Elina Virokannas is University Lecturer and Adjunct Professor of Social Work in the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
’This is a welcome volume from Finland. Although beginning as a tribute to Mirja Satka's work, it includes a diversity of subject matter which nicely encapsulates both social work research in Finland, and also the breadth of scholarship represented in Mirja's work and the network of social work thinkers she has collaborated with. It is a worthwhile collection of thought-provoking pieces which constitutes a considerable contribution to our current and future understanding of social work in its European and global context.’ Jan Fook, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK ’In these hard times for social work this is a book brimming with ideas to take courage from. Combining bold sweeps of critical theory and social work history, with detailed case studies, it opens the door on a rich and challenging intellectual storehouse. Social work's capture in a grinding neo-liberal orthodoxy is re-framed as a complex glocal dynamic with no predetermined future and all to play for.’ John Pinkerton, Queen's University Belfast, UK ’Social Change and Social Work is a timely edited collection on the impact of neoliberalism and its impact on welfare regimes and social work. The book concludes that the complexities of post-modern societies are best addressed by holistic transformations in the social order. This creates a challenging and stimulating agenda for social workers to think about as they seek to create more positive and fulfilling futures for the people relying on their services and for professional practice itself.’ Lena Dominelli, University of Durham, UK
